Improvement in water-closet seats



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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

RENJAMIN G. FITZHUGH, OF FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-CLOSET SEATS.

Specicationlforming partof Letters Patent No. 19,342, dated September 26, 1871; antedated September 11, 1871.

To all whom t 'ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN G. FITZHUGH, of the city and county of Frederick and State of Maryland,haveinventedanew and useful Improvement for Seats of Water-Closets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, sufficient to enable others skilled in the class to which my invention appertains to fully understand and construct the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which makes part of this speciiication, and in Which- Figures l and 2 are side views of my improvement in different positions, and Fig. 3 is a plan or top View of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the several igures. A

My invention consists in so operating the seat of a water-closet by means of a spring, which,

While passing through the lid, does not operate the latter, While the lid is of sufficient Weight to overbalance the spring and keep the seat down when the lid is put down, th at Whenever the lid is raised the seat will rise also, but independent of the lid.

A inthe drawing represents the seat of a Watercloset, hinged to the frame B at b, and covered At a short distance in the rear of the seat and lid rises a back, D, of suitable height, over which passes a cord or Wire, d, attached with one end to a spring, E, Which is again suitably attached to the Wall F. This cord d, With its other end, passes through a slot,a, in the lid G, and is attachedto the seat A at a suiiicient distance for- Ward of the hinges to enable the spring E to operate the seat. It will be understood that the lid C, Which must be heavy enough to overbalance the spring E, operates entirely independent of the spring.

When the lid C, Which has kept the seat down by its Weight, is raised the seat will rise with it, as then the resistance over the spring is removed, and the latter, by contracting, elevates the seat. li' a person desires to use the closet by sitting on it the seat is then put down, as -shoWn in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and held down by the Weight of the person, the lid meanwhile remaining in an upright position. As soon as the person risesthe seat rises also, moving against the lid until it is parallel `with the same. By now pressing down the lid both it and the seat are brought to the position shown in Fig. l, the spring expanding, but the Weight ofthe lid overbalancing the power of the spring and keeping the seat down until the lid is raised again. By this means the same contrivance answers for a Water-closet and a urinal, it being impossible to soil the seat When used as a urinal, because as soon as the lid is raised the seat goes up With it.

I am aware that many seats are hinged, but few persons will take the trouble to raise the seat When they desire to use the closet as a urinal.

My improvement Will be of great use Where but little space can be given to the closet, and in public places at stations, Src., which are ditlicult to keep clean. The spring may, of course, be incased to prevent injury to it.

' Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A Water-closet seat operated from a spring, Which latter, Without operating the lid, is overbalanced by the Weight of the lid, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the spring E, seat A, and slotted lid C, all arranged to operate substantially as herein described.

B. G. FITZHUGH.

Witnesses ALEXE. A. C. KLAUGKE,

J. W. HAMILTON J oENsoN. 

